Here’s what happens when you drink coffee regularly.
A recent study has revealed how the amount of coffee we drink each day impacts our risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from all causes.
Here’s what they found.
The Research: Drinking Coffee Every Day
The research included 468,629 participants, who were divided into 3 groups based on their coffee consumption: none (do not drink coffee regularly), light to moderate (0.5 to 3 cups), and high (more than 3 cups per day).
They followed up with the participants 10 to 15 years later, with a median follow-up of 11 years.
They adjusted their results for age, sex, weight, height, smoking status, physical activity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol level, socioeconomic status, as well as alcohol intake, and consumption of meat, tea, fruit, and vegetables.
They found that the light to moderate coffee drinkers of 0.5 to 3 cups per day had a lowered risk of all-cause mortality of 12% compared to non-coffee drinkers. They also found a 17% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 21% lower risk of stroke.
In regard to the mechanism behind this effect, the researchers explained:
“The imaging analysis indicated that compared with participants who did not drink coffee regularly, daily consumers had healthier sized and better functioning hearts. This was consistent with reversing the detrimental effects of aging on the heart.”
Therefore, it appears that long-term, drinking 0.5 to 3 cups of coffee each day has a beneficial impact on our health with a main mechanism of improving our heart health.
What You Can Do
- Drink 0.5–3 cups of coffee per day.
- Remember to take regular breaks from caffeine such as one week of each month.
- Drink coffee at the right times — wait at least 1 hour after waking and stop at least 10 hours before bedtime.
Original article here on Medium
